Tuesday, January 21, 2014

9 Charged in Slaying of Haitian Journalist

Nine people have been charged in the 2000 killing of one of Haiti's most
renowned journalists, marking a major step forward in a high-profile
case that has dragged on for years.

A judge's report, read aloud in the Court of Appeal, alleged that former
senator Mirlande Liberus Pavert was the intellectual author of the
slaying of radio journalist Jean Dominique. Liberus Pavert was a member
of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's Family Lavalas party while
she served as senator in the early 2000s.

Also charged was Annette Auguste, a well-known folk singer otherwise known as So Anne. She was a Lavalas activist at that time.

The appellate court must now either accept or reject the judge's report, which was submitted on Friday.

"I think it's a positive step to the extent that we've been working on
this for almost 14 years," Dominique's widow, Michele Montas, said by
telephone from her home in New York. She declined to comment further
because she hadn't seen the judge's findings.

Dominique, an agronomist-turned-radio commentator, and his security
guard were gunned down on April 3, 2000, in the courtyard of the
journalist's radio station, Radio Haiti Inter.

The assassination of Dominique — affectionately known as "Jean Do" —
shocked this poor country of 10 million people where a high illiteracy
rate keeps radio popular. He had gone into exile under earlier regimes
but enjoyed proximity to power before his death, counting former
presidents Rene Preval and Aristide as close friends.

Dominique wasn't afraid to name names in his early-morning broadcasts,
aired in Creole instead of elite French, and was revered as much as he
was reviled.

He was the subject of a 2003 documentary directed by Jonathan Demme, "The Agronomist."

However, Dominique and Aristide had a widely reported falling out that
was attributed to a tense interview on the radio station. Dominique had
voiced disappointment with Aristide and allegedly corrupt practices
associated with his Family Lavalas party.

The politically sensitive nature of the case helped drag it out for
years, with judges coming and going, and one fleeing Haiti for his
safety. One suspect mysteriously died in the hospital and his body
disappeared from the morgue.

"The judge has gone farther than any others have but he didn't go as far
as he could have," said Delva, who runs a committee that investigates
the cases of murdered journalists. "They indicted the person who
received the order but not the mastermind. This doesn't make sense."

The mastermind, he said, was Aristide based on witness testimony to which he said he's been privy.

Family Lavalas spokesman Maryse Narcisse declined to comment.

Aristide's U.S. attorney, Ira Kurzban, said he couldn't comment in
detail without seeing the report and its evidence but added that he had
been involved in the case early on and saw no evidence of Family Lavalas
members being involved.